reconnaissance
noun
re·con·nais·sance
ri-ˈkä-nə-zən(t)s 
-sən(t)s
: a preliminary survey to gain information
especially
: an exploratory military survey of enemy territory
Examples of reconnaissance in a Sentence
There are two helicopters available for reconnaissance.
They did a reconnaissance of the enemy's position.
Recent Examples on the Web
During the Revolutionary War, George Washington would have ridden over this ground on reconnaissance tours.
—
Ian Frazier, The New Yorker, 15 July 2024
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images During their summit in Washington, DC, this week, NATO member states committed more than $1 billion to improve the sharing of intelligence from national and commercial reconnaissance satellites.
—Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 13 July 2024
Among those who stuck with Melanie and Snowpiercer, Till and Ben encounter unforeseen enemies when they are sent on a reconnaissance mission.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 12 July 2024
With a first flight in 1964 and an entry into service in 1966, the SR-71 and its variants saw extensive use in both research and military reconnaissance applications until it was retired for good in 1998.
Also designed in part from lessons learned from the X series program: Concorde.
—Julie Boatman, Robb Report, 10 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for reconnaissance 
Ian Frazier, The New Yorker, 15 July 2024
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images During their summit in Washington, DC, this week, NATO member states committed more than $1 billion to improve the sharing of intelligence from national and commercial reconnaissance satellites.
—Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 13 July 2024
Among those who stuck with Melanie and Snowpiercer, Till and Ben encounter unforeseen enemies when they are sent on a reconnaissance mission.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 12 July 2024
With a first flight in 1964 and an entry into service in 1966, the SR-71 and its variants saw extensive use in both research and military reconnaissance applications until it was retired for good in 1998.
Also designed in part from lessons learned from the X series program: Concorde.
—Julie Boatman, Robb Report, 10 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for reconnaissance
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'reconnaissance.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Reconnaissance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reconnaissance. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.
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reconnaissance
noun
re·con·nais·sance
ri-ˈkän-ə-zən(t)s
: a survey (as of enemy territory) to gain information
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